1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hydraulic apparatus for bodily care, in particular for oral care.
This invention pertains to an apparatus for therapeutically caring for the teeth and gums. The apparatus includes a hydraulic pressurized pik or hydraulic pressurized toothbrush and a dentifrice reservoir which can be adjusted with respect to flow rate or turned off when not in use. The dentifrice reservoir further comprises fortified container enclosure which strengthens the reservoir, allowing the user to grip the container easily to add more dentifrice.
This invention further relates to subject matter of special concern to gum and tooth irrigation appliances, although it has been recognized that many of the improvements in appliances for that field also find useful application in other areas such as the medical cleansing of wounds or cavities.
The present invention relates to a system devised for treating periodontal disease. More particularly, it relates to a hand-held device in the nature of a hydraulic pik or hydraulic toothbrush which may be used by a lay person in his home or on his travels to conduct a course of antisepsis and maintenance treatment of that disease.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many people are afflicted with periodontal disease, i.e., gingivitis and periodontitis. The most common symptoms of periodontal disease are gingival and alveolation known as plaque which causes deepening of the normal gingival crevice, leading to gum recession and deep gingival pockets. Bacterial inflammation is the main cause of these conditions. These pockets then retain more food and bacteria in their base, where the pathology develops, which pockets are not reachable for cleaning by ordinary means, and the trapped food debris becomes growth medium for bacteria. This then perpetuates the septic, inflammatory process and extends the pathology so that as pockets get deeper, the alveolar bone dissolves, pus extrudes, and the teeth become loose. This is a condition commonly known as pyorrhea.
Additionally, some commercial pulsating devices, such as that sold under the trademark "Water-Pik",.TM. intended to dislodge food debris between teeth and massage the outer surface of the gums, may be unsuitable for periodontal treatment because they do not supply sufficient water pressure and may not induce antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and other treatment effects. Their effect in the periodontal pocket, if any, is extremely short lasting. Thus, the patient is left without recourse to home therapy and must rely upon course after course of painful dental surgery and curettage and further progress of the disease.
Dental hygiene devices include means for spraying the oral cavity are well known. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,795 entitled "Therapeutically Caring for the Mouth and Throat" issued on Nov. 5, 1991 to Woog whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a method and apparatus for moisturizing and therapy of the mouth and throat. A nebulized fine pulsating spray of relatively small droplets is applied. The pressure and temperature of the spray are controlled to obtain optimum penetration. A liquid pulse generator and moisturizing break-up nozzle are employed by the apparatus of this reference.
All of the foregoing patents involve the delivery of water in pulses with a degree of control of some characteristic such as pressure. Usually, pressure control was included in the base unit. As will be observed, there have been some suggestions of placing it in the user's handpiece, so that the user could achieve that control without removing the handpiece from his mouth when it was still delivering liquid. An alternative was to employ a second hand in an inconvenient manner while at the same time collating coordination.